Organisations such as banks and GPs have access to a lot of personal information about their clients and patients. Unfortunately, sometimes employees with access to this information overstep the line. In recent years, we have received many complaints about situations where that line has been crossed.

I am very sad to announce the resignation of my Assistant Commissioner, Jon Duffy.

If organisations rely on secret passwords to secure customer’s information, they need to ensure they are near-on impossible to guess. In the story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Ali overhears the secret password “open sesame!” outside a cave of wonders and after repeating it, gains access to a treasure trove. Secrets, like security measures, only protect people if no one overhears or guesses them.

According to WorkSafe, as many as one in three New Zealand workers report being bullied or harassed at work every year.

Nearly 40 years ago, the human rights body, the Council of Europe, introduced Convention 108. It required all signatory nations to take the necessary steps in their domestic legislation to ensure that fundamental human rights would be respected in the processing of personal information.

Is it wrong for teachers to post images of the children they teach on their personal Instagram or Facebook profiles? We were asked this question by a journalist last month.

This is the third update in our Privacy 2.0 series.

Assistant Privacy Commissioner Jon Duffy reflects on his December trip to Cebu, Philippines, alongside Commissioner John Edwards, to attend the 52nd Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) forum (Dec 1-2, 2019).